How to Open Old Microsoft Money Data Files in Newer Versions

If you have Microsoft Money backups from older versions of the software—especially those from versions prior to Microsoft Money 2005—recovering the data from the backup files may prove difficult. Restoring a backup data file created in an earlier version of Microsoft Money with a more recent version usually encounters problems due to changes in data file structure which often occur between versions.

Even though you cannot directly restore the backup file from the old version of Microsoft Money, you can open and convert the original data files.

Finding Your Data Files

Data files created and used by Microsoft Money are identified by the file extension ".mny" (depending on the settings of your computer, file extensions may not be visible, but they are present, and you can still use the steps below to locate those files).

Converting Original Data Files

Copy the Microsoft Money data files from your old computer to removable media like a CD, DVD or a USB thumb drive.

Copy these files into the Windows Documents folder on your new computer, or to a folder that you create on your Windows desktop (you can choose to copy the files to any folder or location on your computer, but using a folder on your desktop makes things easier for most users).

Open the new version of Microsoft Money.

Click File, and then select Open.

Navigate to the Windows Documents folder where you copied your Microsoft Money data files (or the folder on your desktop if you chose to save the files there instead).

Microsoft Money will begin to convert the data files to the latest format.

Information on Microsoft Money Support

Microsoft discontinued sales of its Microsoft Money line of finance software products in 2009 and discontinued support of the products in 2011. If you still use Microsoft Money to manage your finances, Microsoft offers an alternative version called Microsoft Money Plus Sunset that replaces Microsoft Money Essentials, Microsoft Money Deluxe, Microsoft Money Premium, Microsoft Money Home and Microsoft Money Business editions. However, before installing it, find out if installing Microsoft Money Plus Sunset is right for you.

Microsoft Money Plus Sunset is a free download. The software continues to work for basic money management tasks, but it does not include tech support or any features that required internet services.